Category Archives: Trust Agent

5 Tips for Networking On LinkedIn

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So how do you Network using LinkedIn. With all the resources and tools that are available out there online how do you use them and what are some key things you need to remember when networking with LinkedIn.

First thing to remember is that you are connecting to real people. Well you are supposed to be connecting to real people. Remember the blog LIAR

Just a few things to keep in mind when connecting with someone on LinkedIn. Remember to make sure that they have a profile pic of themselves. If it is a logo or an avatar shy away from those. Also they should have a history of employment and some recommendations from legitimate people about their character or their work. Then  what do you do?

Here are 5 Tips that you can use when networking online through.

  1.  Don’t try to sell anything to someone you are connecting with for the first, third, fifth or twentieth time. Go back and look at Building Trust. Don’t provide a link to your website. (LinkedIn will not allow you to provide a link or phone # to someone you are not connected to.)
  2. Ask for an introduction from someone you already are connected to. You might be surprised to find out that you have a strong connection with someone who is also connected to the person you are looking to meet. (It is always better to have met the person face 2 face that you are asking to make the introduction. )
  3. Be Yourself! People who are your friends or become your friends usually trust you and it usually ends badly when that trust is lost. So be yourself and check out this old blog on Building Trust to Sell Stuff (In this case it is YOU that you are trying to sell,)
  4. Don’t connect with anyone before you know the value you might be able to bring to them or their organization. Remember it’s about “givers gain” Wikipedia describes “givers gain” as the belief that when (business) people set goals to help others and honestly work to achieve these goals, they usually gained the most out of the experience – through a reciprocal benefit. 
  5. And Last a tactical way to Network on LinkedIn Use the advanced search on LinkedIn when looking for specific people within companies that you might be trying to get into. The advanced search is pretty user-friendly, but just in case you get confused here is a video for you to view.
This blog was specifically designed as a follow-up for the Corporate Connections Circle of Excellence Educational Moment. But my hope is that it helps all who read, Network a little smarter, connect more often, and get more value from Networking on LinkedIn.

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Business Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn Join us on FB and Google+ as well.

Create Awesome Content!!!

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Got your attention? Well this is a very quick, down and dirty blog. Lately I have been inundated with offers claiming to have that magic pill to help me with my Social Media Presence, Strategy, Posts, Content, Marketing and the list goes on. They entice you with headlines like the one for this blog, sorry about that.  Now I could be a real Jerk and name some of the companies and people I am getting offers from, but… I won’t. I learned a long time ago that the only way to win is to be better than the other guy or company who is telling everyone why your company is so bad and how they don’t really have the best of ______________ (fill in the blank).

So What Do You Do? With all these offers and guarantees?

How do you get through all the noise and find the right thing to do to get ahead in whatever business or endeavor you are doing without shelling out a lot of money to the wrong people, companies or offers? Yes I am talking to myself as well. I have paid for bad information, technology and other stuff along the way.

I heard a great line the other day in a movie. “If you want to make a lot of money; Work your Ass Off!” Friends with Benefits As in life so as is in business, there are no short cuts! A friend of mine posted this about someone trying to help businesses out with Social Media. “Liar” by Doug Grady. 

The point is simple; work hard, build trust, and be a real person in order to add value to your community. (This Goes For Businesses Too) And yes come back and continue reading these posts and I will help you with all of the above. For just the time it takes you to read this post and if along the way you find value please share this with others.

It is a new world and for all the good, bad and ugly the new currency is TRUST!

Yes folks I have been away but I am back. Hope you tag along on the second part of my continuous journey.

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn Join us on FB as well.

How To Get People To Trust You!

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This seems to be the biggest mystery of the universe. Oh don’t get me wrong, there are people out there that can give you a zillion ways; techniques and tricks to do this but how do you manage to gain trust in today’s society? If you google “How to get trust” you will get over 430 million results. Thought this was  pretty good from Forbes “In Pictures: Nine Ways To Get Someone To Trust You” There are books, video series, CD’s, MP3′s on “How to Build Trust” so you can find these things if you’re looking.

But most of us know this already; right? Maybe not. So how do you build Trust in a World that seems untrustworthy? I heard something at a network meeting today that made me write on this subject. They said that people buy from those they like and trust. I would agree but I would say that now in order for someone to buy from you they need to trust you, have a relationship with you and then like you. Semantics right, wrong.

The world used to be built on tell me you have the greatest product or service and the best price and I as a consumer or business would buy. But now a days through technology I can find your dirty laundry if you’re lying.

Today it is all about transparency and being genuine and engaging that person face to face or online to build trust. No matter how high gas prices go up, or how bad the economy gets if the person you are trying to influence does not trust you they won’t buy from you.

I have several people who I like but don’t trust. Don’t you?

Les Adkins CEO Orange SMS


Social Media Bubble?

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So why are we talking about the “Social Media Bubble”? Because Warren Buffett got into the fray and made this statement while at a conference in New Delhi, India.

“It’s extremely difficult to value social-networking-site companies…Most of them will be overpriced. Some will be huge winners, which will make up for the rest.”

So what Warren Buffett is talking about is his investment strategy not the end of Social Media which some in the blogosphere have been touting of late.

I will refer you back to an old post of mine that talks in detail about the: Social Media Bubble Fact or Fiction

I came across a LinkedIn Post that stated “RIP Social Media”. Well after reading the comment and blog (See Original Blog Here) My own conclusion is that Social Media Marketing maybe slowing down but not Social Media.

So here is what I think and others agree that Social Media is about engagement with customers, prospects, employees and people with like interests. The companies that use Social Media to engage will be the victors the ones that try to market before building Trust will be the losers.

Les Adkins CEO of Orange-SMS

Co-Founder of TalkTube (coming soon)

 

 

top image provided by jcreationz

2011 The Secret of a Social Media Strategy!

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So you have been bombarded with articles and offers on how to get your Social Media Strategy up and running in the new year. I even got an offer on LinkedIn the other day offering to give me a Social Media Marketing Campaign for $1.00. A “Social Media Kickstart Plan”. Everyone is looking for ways to market Social Media and companies are trying to still figure out how to make Social Media work for their organization.
I have also seen several articles lately on how Social Media is no longer a hobby for corporations, it has to become part of their culture.
When I started talking to people about Social Media there weren’t many people out there who understood this new way of doing business and how to make it work. Even some of my clients failed to do the right things to make Social Media work for their business. (I’ll accept some of the blame, but people wanted marketing campaigns not social media campaigns and yes there is a difference)
So how do you decide who to listen to. Especially now in 2011 when it seems that everyone is talking about  and discussing Social Media. How to make it work for you and your business. How to make money using Social Media, How to…. the list goes on and on.
Well back from my recent training trip to Australia where I traveled the country side training people on Whole Brain Thinking and New Business Development as well as discussing Social Media I came to a realization. The issue is behavior. How do you incorporate something into your culture that has never existed before? The things you are doing now are working minimally so why do you need to radically change what you are doing to incorporate Social Media?
The secret is the 30 and above group and the 30 and under group. If you haven’t heard this term you will. We will discuss in great detail over the next few weeks but for now let me tell you the basis of the secret.
The 30 and above are still using traditional methods successfully and they are trying to incorporate the new Social Media tools and connectivity into their traditional ways of doing business. The 30 and under, for the most part, are utilizing Social Media in their everyday lives. From connecting with friends, to finding jobs, to doing business. They (and again I am generalizing, but it seems to follow what I have experienced and witnessed both here and in Australia) use Social Media in every aspect of their lives and they are figuring out ways to make it work for them.
If you can go back and remember how it was when you first were learning to drive; you needed to remember everything from turning on the car to pulling into traffic to getting comfortable parallel parking. Now you get in a car and everything is natural. Until you have to go to another country and drive on the wrong side of the road to what you are used to.
This is what I discovered in Australia and realized that Social Media is the same way. For those over 30 it is like driving on the wrong side of the road. For those under 30 they don’t know any different.
So what does this all mean?
In the Social Media world there are companies that are using Social Media in a very traditional marketing way and companies that are using Social Media in  a very “Social Media” way – building trust, connecting with customers and employees,  and offering advice without the explicit act of selling their service.
What is missing?
A company that can help organizations transition from the original way of doing business to the new way of doing business that is more than what is currently defined by “Social Media”.
Orange SMS is launching a new program that will help corporations transition from the traditional way of doing business to the new way of doing business. It has more to do with “Whole Brain Thinking” “New Business Development” and “Building Trust with Social Media”.  Parts of this program have already seen success with an international client and we are looking for more clients to pilot this brand new program that will finally connect the over 30 and under 30 crowd into a successful organization, sales team, and business.
In the coming weeks we will discuss this new program in more detail and our staff will be out discussing it with businesses and individuals. This new programs launch title is 1/11/11/11. It will help you take your organization to the next level by starting with one concept and then duplicating it through your entire organization.
We look forward to being your transition partner and truly helping you succeed in business in 2011.
Les Adkins CEO of Orange SMS

Seize the Day!

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Seize the Day! Carpe diem!

So what does this mean to you?

I’ve heard  a couple of statements in the last few weeks that make this  relevant  for those of you who happen to read my blog.

“Break the Cycle”      “Live Like You’re Dying”  “Carpe diem”

SEIZE  THE  DAY

I am guilty like most of you of hearing the statements above and not living them. What makes the difference between someone who lives their dream and someone who is always reaching out for their dream. I believe it is action! Depending on who you speak to motivational seminars and books and tapes can create change or are a waste of time.

I have seen in my own life how they have created change and I have also seen how they are a waste of time. What made the difference? Action!

When I have acted on the words I hear from the motivational and inspirational speakers, books and tapes I have listened to I have made major positive changes in my life but when I just hear the information and then leave and continue doing business as usual nothing happens.

Social Media is the same way. If you just read all the books and information but do not take action nothing will change regarding your online brand or your Trust factor with your audience. Only when you take action does change take place and you start seeing results from your Social Media Strategy.

I don’t do this often but I am recommending an all day event that you can attend for free.

I’m going to the Seize the Day motivational seminar in Atlanta at Philips Arena on Nov. 9. I’d like you to join me. I’ve already paid your enrollment fee, so it won’t cost you a dime!  You can register by going to http://www.SeizeTheDay.com and clicking on “Join Your Group” in the lower left corner of the screen. Be sure to use the group ID code when you register.

Group Code:  OR5GTS5VP7KA

Seize the Day is going to be an awesome day of motivation and inspiration. Speakers include Sarah Palin, Laura Bush, John Smoltz, Bill O’Reilly, Ben Stein, John Maxwell and Terry Bradshaw. They’ll be talking about topics like goal achievement, leadership, team building, wealth building, sales and negotiations and overcoming adversity – information you can put to use.

Let this be the day that you put into action a change in your life.Don’t forget: It’s free for you if you register with our group. I hope you’ll join us. It’s going to be a fun day.

You can also connect with several people on this day and one of them might be the person you were meant to speak to in order to change your life!

Only 4 days til I leave for Australia. I will be video blogging during my trip in hopes that you will enjoy Australia and maybe learn something to help you change your life as well.

Les Adkins, CEO Orange SMS (Social Media Solutions)

mysylbert.com

Socail Media – Technology First?

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Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Hi5….. the list can go on and on. I have spoken to several business owners lately who have someone tweeting, posting and creating a FB page for them.  The reason, “someone told me I needed to be on (fill in your favorite social media platform)

Technology seems to be the goal today for most Social Media Strategies. I had a meeting earlier today where the question was asked more than once, what tools should we be using? And by the way there are some cool tools out there. But if you have read any of my other blogs  you will know what is coming next.

Social Media is not about using tools or building a Facebook page or making sure that you are posting every day. It is about building relationships with your employees, customers and prospects. Knowing what they are saying so you can react to them in a positive way. Whether there comment is negative or positive. It is about having a conversation and building trust.

At a recent networking event I came across a gentleman who said his marketing company was tweeting, posting and writing blogs for them. When I asked him a couple of questions:

Are those reaching your audience?

Are you involved in the discussions and building the content?

I lost his interest and he smiled and said I just know they are making sure I am using social media. Really? Someone is making sure that his company is using social media but if asked I would wager that he could not tell you what his last post was about. Or even if the message is cohesive and meeting the objectives of his audience.

It is important for companies moving forward in this new business world of Social Media to know that there are two camps doing business with them and looking to do business with them.

Those over the age of 30 and those under the age of 30. Whether your audience is consumers or businesses both those camps still apply. Individuals make buying decisions, companies don’t.  So going back to my style of training, we need to ask the question.

Why is that important to you, the business owner or executive?

People over the age of 30 still believe in not airing their dirty laundry to the world. (Bear with me, these are general statements and I am not saying that all individuals over the age of 3o or under the age of 30 believe or act the same way.) But for discussion on Social Media is important to understand the difference. Those under the age of 30 believe in transparency.

Right now is a transition period. As a business you have to keep both camps happy. But if you plan on moving your company into the future you need to start moving toward transparency. Even the government is learning that lesson.

So to end this rant, whatever you are doing with Social Media, please take into account your audience, what you want them to do. Then build a strategy to make that happen and build the relationship and trust with your audience on the platforms that they are using.

If you are a car salesman and tweet all day, chances are you won’t sell many cars. But if you are on a group that is talking about the type of cars you sell and you build the relationship by giving them information that helps them with buying cars, maintaining cars and answering their questions. Then the chances of you selling more cars is greater because now you are a trusted advisor and not just another car salesman.

So the next time someone recommends a great Social Media Tool. Ask yourself the question:

Does this tool help me reach my audience, if not, don’t use the technology.

Technology without a Strategy is like buying 4 tires and not owning a car.

Les Adkins CEO Orange SMS (Social Media Solutions)

Consistency builds Trust

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So I come across several blogs and companies who last posted something in 09. I have even used some of the information that they wrote in their blogs to share with you. Here is the hard, cold fact. The audience you are trying to reach wants to see consistency. This would seem to be common sense but all of us has experienced “Life Getting in the Way” of what we know we need to do.

Consistency is something that is lacking in this day and age. I have been guilty of not being consistent in posting or blogging. But more importantly it is vital for a company to build trust to keep in constant contact with their audience. We spoke about setting up a monitoring station this week in “Becoming a Trust Agent by hanging out with your Audience” a monitoring station will let you know when your company is mentioned and where, then you can go there and  comment or dialogue with that person.

It is important to keep in constant contact with your audience. This is not easy, it takes time and effort. So there are several options for you:

  1. Appoint someone  in your company to monitor and manage Social Media. This can turn into a full-time position, so be prepared to alleviate additional work if the person you appoint already has other responsibilities.
  2. You can hire a company to provide this service for you. Be prepared to allow that company access to your people and executives as they will need to make sure they are getting out the message you decide on. This company is representing you online so they need to have the same access as an employee to your branding information. (we will discuss in another post why you should never lie or misrepresent yourself as someone else when posting or answering a question)
  3. Hire an intern to do this job as they learn your organization.
  4. Hire a Director or VP of Social Media and let them deal with this brave new world.

Making sure you understand the expectations to succeed in Social Media is a vital key to success. Social Media takes time and effort before you see the results but you will see results. Consistency or lack there of is why some companies see results and others don’t.

Last thought: When is the last time you got mad at a friend or  family member because they were not consistent in their help, communication or other action that you felt was not consistent. Your audience will feel the same way.

Les Adkins, CEO Orange SMS – Social Media Solutions

Speaker, Entrepreneur

Build Trust to Sell Stuff

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So this week we are talking about Building Trust and how to go about it. One of the most important things to remember when building trust for companies and organizations is to be sincere. That means don’t be fake! In today’s new market you have to build true relationships with the members of the community you participate in before you can sell to them.

There is song by Train “If it’s love” that has the line:

I’m not in it to win it, I’m in it for you.

This is a great line when it comes to building trust and selling in this new environment. I can hear the “A” personalities in Sales screaming and saying crazy phrases like,

Sale, Sale, Sale and Always Be Closing

I have over 25 years of sale’s experience and yes started selling in the 80′s where you learned how to make the sell, and use all the tricks to do it, but as I have said over and over it is a new market and a new economy. Don’t get me wrong I am not against selling, as a matter of fact I am all about selling.  But in today’s Social Media and Sale’s environment. The relationship comes first. You have to be about the other person. You have to truly care about their needs and understand how they think. You have to be “in it for the customer”.

Scott Goodknight “The Breakthru Guy” talks about helping others get what they want and you will get what you want. In social media it is about building the relationship first and then building trust and then and only then can you recommend a service or product.

From the Blog “TheValue of Trust In the Attention Economy: Influence is the New ROI” Robin Good  talks about attention economy he states:

Today, the relationship must come before the sale, not the other way around. By creating and nurturing your community and by making customers your good friends it is possible to develop new relationships and loyal supporters which can be an invaluable asset for any company in the market today.

Once you have a community of passionate fans and followers, it becomes easier to share your commercial recommendations and advice in ways that are more spontaneous, natural and credible.

I want to take it just a little bit further. You don’t have to have your own community you can join another community where your audience is and start building trust by adding value that enhances their lives.  To do this you must have a relationship and know what they are interested in.
Example:
  • If you are a web developer discuss the top 5 things to look for in a good web developer.
  • If you are an attorney blog about how to find a reputable attorney or what to wear to court.
  • If you are a roofer describe horror stories about independent roofing companies and what to be aware of to not get conned.
  • If you help companies with Social Media, blog about how to use Social Media to build trust. (Forgive the self plug)
You get the idea?  I’ll leave you with this quote about relationships from George Benckenstein:
Leveraging your relationships is a great way to increase awareness of your product, service or brand – but you actually have to become a respected and trusted member of your community and nurture your own network before you can tap into it’s potential.
  • You can’t fake a relationship
  • Relationships come before sales
  • Business is not the first order of business
  • Your personal brand comes first
Hope you are starting to see the difference between present and past. One last thing. The methods of the past are still working today and making people money. Do more than make money build a community of relationships that trust you and you can build an empire in the future.
Les Adkins, CEO Orange SMS – Social Media Solutions
Speaker and Entrepreneur

Becoming a “Trust Agent” by hanging out with your Audience

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So one of the first steps of becoming a Trust Agent is to hang out where your audience is and listening to what they have to say,  this involves a little research on your part or a company that will do it for you. It is amazing that some companies really don’t know who their audience is. But with the web and social media your audience is already having conversations about you. As a business it is your job to know what they are saying and to ” join the conversation”.  There are many tools regarding monitoring social media;  Vocus has a really good monitoring tool and so does Radian 6 if you  just do a google search for Social Media monitoring you will get over 10 million results. For those of you with low or no budgets get yourself a Gmail account at gmail.com and then that account will allow you to set up a free listening station at google.com/reader.

One of the big things to understand about this new world of business, customers and web is to understand “Transparency” In the book Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith it states:

Companies must acknowledge that they are as naked on the Web as individuals are. This shouldn’t be a surprise; any new medium you jump in to changes the way you are seen. But since the Web is active 24/7 and has cameras on all angles, it’s difficult for anyone to hide.

We have become a nation of distrust and it is up to the companies to build that trust with their audience. There was a study by IBM that discovered an interesting trend. 71% of 18 to 24 year olds spend more than 2  hours online compared to 48% of this group who spend 2 hours watching TV.  Here is the kicker ” One-third of them (32%) received advice about where to go on the Web mostly from friends.”

As a company it would be a good idea to become their friend or at least to build trust in the communities and places they are visiting online . You do this by answering their questions about your company and commenting on things you read (both good and bad) remember to always respond positively and truthfully. If you can’t do anything about something your audience is complaining about, tell them why you can’t and how they might get around it, but by all means Be Honest! The Web and Social Media is truly a place where “your sins will find you out”. And if they are praising you, thank them and give them something in return so they will tell others what a great company you are.

Another way to build trust is to develop your brand to fit your audience. Another way to look at it is to make them feel good about you and your company   Coca Cola and Virgin do a great job at this providing  communities on their website and having accounts on Twitter and Facebook. Virgin has branded Richard Branson on FB.

It’s all about hanging out and talking with (not at) your audience. Wherever they are online and yes where they network. It never hurts to go do a Face 2 Face at places your audience hangs out at.

So the audience is the key. Remember that whether you are talking to them online or in person they are people who want to know that you care about them and what they believe in. One last bit of advice, that I do a whole training around, but figure it is relevant  to mention here:

Individuals make decisions on buying; Companies don’t!

Whether you are B2B (Business to Business)  or B2C (Business to Consumer) the individual is who you have to hang out with and have a conversation with in order for them to trust you before they will buy your service or product.

Les Adkins, CEO of Orange SMS – Social Media Solutions

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